The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban

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The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
The Little Things that Run the City
Insect ecology, biodiversity and
conservation in the City of Melbourne

Luis Mata, Christopher D. Ives,
Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez, Georgia
E. Garrard, Ascelin Gordon, Kate
Cranney, Tessa R. Smith, Anna
Backstrom, Daniel J. Bickel, Amy K.
Hahs, Mallik Malipatil, Melinda L
Moir, Michaela Plein, Nick Porch,
Linda Semeraro, Ken Walker, Peter
A. Vesk, Kirsten Parris and Sarah A.
Bekessy
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
The Little Things that Run the City – Insect ecology, biodiversity and
                conservation in the City of Melbourne

      Report prepared for the City of Melbourne, August 2016

                                  Coordinating authors
                                       Luis Mata1
                                   Christopher D. Ives2
                               Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez3
                                   Georgia E. Garrard1
                                    Ascelin Gordon1
                                     Sarah Bekessy1
         1
          Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group, RMIT University
                        2
                          Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University
                              3
                                Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia

                                  Contributing authors

     Kate Cranney, Tessa R. Smith, Anna Backstrom, Daniel J. Bickel, Amy K. Hahs,
     Mallik Malipatil, Melinda L. Moir, Michaela Plein, Nick Porch, Linda Semeraro,
     Ken Walker, Peter A. Vesk and Kirsten M. Parris.
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Cover artwork by Kate Cranney ‘Ant and lerps’ (Ink and paper on paper, 2016)
Beetle stacked macro-photographs by Nick Porch.
Dryinidid wasp stacked macro-photograph by Ken Walker.
All other photographs by Luis Mata unless otherwise stated.
The version of the report was finished in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) the 15th of September 2016.

Please cite as:
The Little Things that Run the City – Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne (2016)
Mata L, Ives CD, Morán-Ordóñez A, Garrard GE, Gordon A, Cranney K, Smith TR, Backstrom A, Bickel DJ, Hahs AK,
Malipatil M, Moir ML, Plein M, Porch N, Semeraro L, Walker K, Vesk PA, Parris KM, Bekessy SA. Report prepared
for the City of Melbourne.
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Coordinating and contributing authors

Anna Backstrom Interdisciplinary Conservation     Kate Cranney Interdisciplinary Conservation
Science Research Group, Centre for Urban          Science Research Group, Centre for Urban
Research, School of Global, Urban and Social      Research, School of Global, Urban and Social
Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,         Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,
Victoria, Australia.                              Victoria, Australia.
anna.backstrom@rmit.edu.au                        kcranney@student.unimelb.edu.au
Sarah A. Bekessy Interdisciplinary Conservation   Georgia E. Garrard Interdisciplinary Conservation
Science Research Group, Centre for Urban          Science Research Group, Centre for Urban
Research, School of Global, Urban and Social      Research, School of Global, Urban and Social
Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,         Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,
Victoria, Australia.                              Victoria, Australia.
sarah.bekessy@rmit.edu.au                         georgia.garrard@rmit.edu.au
Daniel J. Bickel Entomology, Australian Museum,   Ascelin Gordon Interdisciplinary Conservation
Sydney 2010, New South Wales, Australia.          Science Research Group, Centre for Urban
danb@austmus.gov.au                               Research, School of Global, Urban and Social
                                                  Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,
                                                  Victoria, Australia.
                                                  ascelin.gordon@rmit.edu.au
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Amy K. Hahs Australian Research Centre               Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez Forest Sciences Centre
for Urban Ecology (ARCUE), Royal Botanic             of Catalonia, Solsona 25280, Catalonia, Spain.
Gardens Victoria, c/o School of BioSciences, The     alejandra.moran@ctfc.es
University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria,
                                                     Kirsten M. Parris School of Ecosystem and Forest
Australia.
                                                     Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville
hahsa@unimelb.edu.au
                                                     3110, Victoria, Australia.
Christopher D. Ives Faculty of Sustainability,       k.parris@unimelb.edu.au
Leuphana University, Lüneburg 21335, Germany.
                                                     Michaela Plein School of BioSciences, The
ives@leuphana.de
                                                     University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria,
Mallik Malipatil Department of Economic              Australia.
Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources           michaela.plein@gmx.de
AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, La Trobe
                                                     Nick Porch School of Life and Environmental
University, Bundoora 3083, Victoria, Australia.
                                                     Sciences, Melbourne Burwood Campus, Deakin
mallik.malipatil@ecodev.vic.gov.au
                                                     University, Burwood 3125, Victoria, Australia.
Luis Mata Interdisciplinary Conservation Science nicholas.porch@deakin.edu.au
Research Group, Centre for Urban Research,
                                                 Linda Semeraro Department of Economic
School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT
                                                 Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources,
University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia.
                                                 Biosciences Research Division, La Trobe
luis.mata@rmit.edu.au
                                                 University, Bundoora 3083, Victoria, Australia.
Melinda L. Moir School of Plant Biology,         linda.semeraro@dpi.vic.gov.au
University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009,
Western Australia, Australia.
melinda.moir@uwa.edu.au
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Tessa R. Smith Interdisciplinary Conservation
Science Research Group, Centre for Urban
Research, School of Global, Urban and Social
Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000,
Victoria, Australia.
smith.tessa.r@gmail.com
Peter A. Vesk School of BioSciences, The
University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria,
Australia.
pvesk@unimelb.edu.au
Ken Walker Science Department, Museum
Victoria, Carlton 3053, Victoria, Australia.
kwalker@museum.vic.gov.au
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the City of Melbourne for co-funding this project. We’d especially like to thank
Ian Shears, Yvonne Lynch, Amy Rogers and Lingna Zhang from the Urban Sustainability Branch for
their ongoing support and enthusiasm.
We would also like to acknowledge the support of funding from RMIT University’s Strategic Projects
in Urban Research (SPUR) Fund, the National Environmental Science Programme - Clean Air and
Urban Landscapes Hub (NESP - CAUL) and the Australian Research Council - Centre of Excellence for
Environmental Decisions (CEED).
Thanks to Esti Palma, Michelle Freeman, Dave Duncan, Xavier Francoeur and Laura Stark for their
invaluable help with fieldwork, insect sorting and data analysis.
We are grateful to Dayanthi Nugegoda, Jeff Shimeta, David Heathcote and Shannon Fernandes from
RMIT University’s Applied Sciences Lab for providing the laboratory workspace and equipment
necessary to undertake the insect sorting and identification phase of this project.
We are also grateful to Alan Andersen and Rolf Oberprieler for generously providing help with
ant and weevil species identifications and advice on species biology and ecology. Also thanks to
Steve Sinclair, who identified the black-anther flax-lily Dianella admixta in which we observed the
blue-banded bee in Royal Park, and Tony Daley and Martin Lagerwey, who contributed species
identifications through the BowerBird platform.
The Little Things that Run the City - Insect ecology, biodiversity and conservation in the City of Melbourne - Clean Air and Urban
Contents

1   The Little Things that Run the City project, 1
2   Methodology, 9
3   Findings, 15
4   Management and practice recommendations, 61
References, 71
1 The Little Things that Run the City project

How did The Little Things that Run the City get its since, and it is just now beginning to encompass
name?                                                 the invertebrates. For reasons that have to do with
                                                      almost every facet of human welfare, we should
The Little Things that Run the City has been inspired welcome this new development.”
by Edward O. Wilson’s famous quote:
                                                      In this research collaboration with the City of
   “…let me say a word on behalf of these little      Melbourne we aim to expand the circle further to
   things that run the world”                         also encompass the conservation of insects and
The quote was part of an address given by Wilson on other invertebrates in urban environments. We are
occasion of the opening of the invertebrate exhibit inspired to ‘say a word on behalf of the little things
of the National Zoological Park (Washington D.C., that run the city’.
USA). It later appeared in writing format in the first
volume of the journal Conservation Biology (Wilson       Why are insects so important?
1997). The key objective of Wilson’s address was to
                                                         With more than one million described extant
stress the urgent need to recognise the importance
                                                         species, insects (Figures 1.1 and 1.2) are the most
of insects and other invertebrates for humanity.
                                                         diversified animal taxa on planet Earth (Stork 2007,
Almost 30 years ago he was keen to see that
                                                         Adler and Foottit 2009). Not unexpectedly, insect
efforts aimed at the conservation of biodiversity
                                                         species account for as much as 66% of all known
were beginning to also include non-vertebrate
                                                         animals (Zhang 2011). The core importance of
animals. In his words: “A hundred years ago few
                                                         insects to humanity, however, does not reside alone
people thought of saving any kind of animal or
                                                         in their diversity, but in the roles that they play in
plant. The circle of concern has expanded steadily
                                                                                                              1
structuring networks of ecological interactions in         ecosystems is hindering progress in ecology and
almost all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems           conservation science at the national, continental
throughout the biosphere (Waldbauer 2003,                  and planetary scales (Stork 2007, Cranston 2010,
Bascompte and Jordano 2007, Ings et al. 2009,              New and Yen 2012, New and Samways 2014).
Scudder 2009). Moreover, through their capacity            There is therefore a great need for research into the
to pollinate flowers, transform biomass, regulate          insect biodiversity of urban environments for both
pest populations, recycle nutrients, disperse seeds,       scientific advancement and urban sustainability
and provide food, insects are arguably planet              practice.
Earth’s most important contributors of biodiversity-
delivered ecosystem services (Kremen and                   Is the City of Melbourne interested in conserving
Chaplin-Kremer 2007, Straub et al. 2008, Prather           insect biodiversity?
et al. 2013).
                                                           The City of Melbourne’s (Figure 1.3) commitment
Why should we strive to conserve insects in urban          to sustainability and biological conservation
environments?                                              is reflected in its Urban Forest and Open Space
                                                           strategies (City of Melbourne 2012a, 2012b) and
Insects are a critical component of urban biodiversity     the goals set in its latest four-year Council Plan (City
(Sattler et al. 2011, Mata 2013, Threlfall et al. 2015).   of Melbourne 2013). The council’s interest and
The ecological functions they perform within               concern for the insect biodiversity occurring within
and beyond the boundaries of cities translate              its boundaries is distinctly reflected in its soon to be
into a plethora of ecosystem services (Losey and           released ‘Urban ecology and biodiversity strategy’.
Vaughan 2006, Kremen and Chaplin-Kremer 2007,              Insect biodiversity was also a central theme and
Straub et al. 2008, Prather et al. 2013, Benett and        focus of its two most recent ‘BioBlitz’ events (Ives
Lovell 2014, Baldock et al. 2015) and disservices          et al. 2015), as well as of the recent ‘Target species
(Dunn 2010, Rust and Su 2012) that are delivered           for rewilding, monitoring and public engagement
constantly to city-dwellers.                               in the City of Melbourne’ workshop (Mata et al.
Presently, however, the paucity of data on the
diversity and ecological roles of insects in urban         Figure 1.1 (Opposite page) Diversity of insect life I.

2
3
2016). Arguably however, the most compelling        What were the project’s key research questions?
evidence of the municipality’s commitment to
the understanding of insects and their associated   We applied the approach described above to
benefits is the support of the present study ‘The   formulate the following research questions:
Little Things that Run the City’.                   1. Which are the key insect groups living in the
                                                    City of Melbourne?
Was the research in The Little Things that Run the
City a purely academic (or consultancy) endeavor? 2. Which are the most frequently occurring insect
                                                   species in the City of Melbourne?
No On the contrary, the research was developed       3. How is the insect biodiversity of the City of
following the collaborative partnership model Melbourne distributed amongst its public green
of science-government partnerships (Ives and spaces?
Lynch 2014). Not unlike mutualistic plant-insect 4. How is the insect biodiversity of the City of
ecological interactions in nature, this approach Melbourne distributed amongst the different
advocates for government professionals and habitat types in these green spaces?
academic researchers to work in close association
to generate mutually beneficial outcomes. To 5. What are the most frequent ecological
guarantee that both theoretically interesting and interactions between plants and insects in the City
practically important questions are identified, Ives of Melbourne?
and Lynch (2014) propose that the key research 6. What are the ecological functions performed by
questions ought to be developed collaboratively insects in the City of Melbourne?
between researchers and practitioners. The project
was further envisioned as an outreach tool, and 7. What are the ecosystem services delivered by
aimed to rise awareness of insects and ecosystem the City of Melbourne’s insect biodiversity that
processes in the general public.                     benefit people?

                                                    Figure 1.2 (Opposite page) Diversity of insect life II.

4
5
How will the project’s findings inform the City of the Australian Research Council Linkage Project
Melbourne’s biodiversity management guidelines ‘Designing green spaces for biodiversity and
and policy?                                        human well-being’ (Bekessy et al. 2016).

The Little Things that Run the City project will        Who funded The Little Things that Run the City?
illustrate the importance of insect biodiversity
conservation to the City of Melbourne. Further,         The Little Things that Run the City was funded by
results stemming from this research will identify       the City of Melbourne, RMIT University’s Strategic
particular insects with key functional roles that       Projects in Urban Research (SPUR) Fund, the
benefit humans. This knowledge could be then be         Australian Research Council - Centre of Excellence
used to identify where to prioritise conservation       for Environmental Decisions (CEED), and the
activities, guide the design and maintenance of         National Environmental Science Programme
green spaces, and assist decision-makers consider       - Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (NESP -
insects in broader biodiversity plans and strategies.   CAUL).
The study’s findings will also provide valuable
baseline data that can be integrated into the           How is this report different from Mata et al.’s
council’s planned research agendas, for example in      2015 report entitled ‘The Little Things that Run the
future iterations of the City of Melbourne’s BioBlitz   City – How do Melbourne’s green spaces support
and in the future development of monitoring             insect biodiversity and ecosystem health’?
programs.
                                                        The report presented by Mata et al. (2015) was
Will the project’s findings also inform other           intended as a preliminary version of the final
research agendas?                                       report we present here. The key difference is that
                                                        the 2015 report was based on a partial dataset,
The study‘s findings will provide key baseline data     as only a fraction of the insect material had been
to ‘The shared urban habitat’ research project of       sorted by the time the report was developed. It is
the National Environmental Science Programme            also important to mention that after the completion
– Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub (Clean
                                                        Figure 1.3 The City of Melbourne Central Business District as viewed
Air and Urban Landscapes Hub 2016) and to               from one the project’s grassland plots in Royal Park.

6
7
of the 2015 report the project team decided drop
the emphasis on insect orders and to concentrate
instead in the key insect groups that are presented
in this final report.

Has all the collected data been integrated now
into the project’s dataset?

Not quite!              The project’s systematic
survey also included the Royal Botanic Gardens
Melbourne and the University of Melbourne’s
System Garden. We also conducted a one-time
survey of the Birrarung Marr’s flowering meadow.
Finally, in addition to insects we also collected
spiders. The data derived from these will be the
subject of future work.

8
2 Methodology

Where did the study take place?                   Gardens, Princes Park, Royal Park, the State Library
                                                  of Victoria, University Square, Westgate Park and
The study was conducted in the City of Melbourne Women’s Peace Gardens (Table 2.1; Figure 2.1)
(Figure 1.3), a 37.7 km2 Local Government Area
(i.e. municipality) in Victoria, Australia with a How many plots were established within the study
residential population of approximately 122,000 sites?
people (City of Melbourne 2015).

When did the insect survey take place?                132
The study took place in the Austral Spring of 2015, How many habitat types were surveyed?
from January 6th to March 10th.

How many study sites were included in the study?
                                                      4 We classified habitat types as tree, mid-storey,
                                                      grassland or lawn. A detailed description of these
                                                      is given in Mata et al. (2015).
15 Argyle Square, Canning/Neill Street Reserve,
the area of Carlton Gardens south of the Royal        How was the number and size of plots decided?
Exhibition Building (henceforth Carlton Gardens
South), the combined areas of Fitzroy Gardens         We calculated the total area to be surveyed for
and Treasury Gardens (henceforth Fitzroy-Treasury     each habitat type in each green space site using a
Gardens), Gardiner Reserve, Garrard Street Reserve,   logarithmic function closely related to the species-
Lincoln Square, Murchison Square, Pleasance           area relationship:

                                                                                                         9
Ph = 100 · 2(log10 S) - 3                                                 How many times was each plot surveyed?

where Ph equals the total area to be surveyed of
habitat type h and S is the area of the green space
                                                                          3
                                                       The time between one survey period and the
                                                    next was approximately 30 days.
site. This formula satisfies the condition that the
total area to be surveyed of a given habitat type How many plant species were surveyed?
in a 1,000 m2 site is 100 m2 (10%), whilst yielding
proportionally smaller survey areas as site size
increases.                                                                108
                                                            These species belonged in 89 genera and
                                                    51 families of flowering plants. Lawns, which
We determined the size of each plot (Ps) with:
                                                    were dominated by the non-native couch grass
                                                    Cynodon dactylon and kikuyu grass Pennisetum
Ps = S/Pn
                                                    clandestinum (Mata et al. 2015), were treated as
where Pn (number of plots per site) was defined as: a single ‘lawn complex’ species. Likewise, two
                                                    grassland plots in Royal Park were treated a single
                                                    ‘grassland mix’ species. Plants were identified by
Pn = Integer (S/10)
                                                    Anna Backstrom.
This specification allowed plot size to vary between
                                                                          Which insect survey methods were used?
75 m2 and 150 m2, and the number of plots of each
habitat type to be established in each site to vary                       Direct observations and sweep-netting (Figure
between 1 and 9. Values for S, Ph, Ps and Pn are                          2.2). These are explained in full detail in Mata et
given in Table 2.1.                                                       al. (2015).

Figure 2.1 (Opposite page) Geographical location of the fifteen study sites within the City of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia).

10
Garrard Street Reserve   Royal Park   Princes Park

                                                                         Canning/Neill Street
  Women’s Peace
                                                                         Reserve
        Garden

                                                                         University Square

                                                                         Lincoln Square
Pleasance Gardens
                                                                         Murchison Square
 Gardiner Reserve
                                                                         Argyle Square

                                                                         Carlton Gardens South

                                                                         Fitzroy-Treasury Gardens

                                                                         State Library of Victoria

    Westgate Park
                                                                            Surveyed green spaces
                                                                            Other green spaces

                                                                                       11
Table 2.1 Information on study sites. Habitat types refer to tree (T), mid-storey (MS), grassland (G) and lawn (L). The formulas by which Ph, Ps, and Pn were
     calculated are given in the text.

                                                                              Park area      Total             Plot
                                                                                                                     Number           Habitat
                                                  Total park area        (- impervious surveyed                size                             Total plots
     Park name                                                                                                       of plots            types
                                                             (m2)        surfaces) (m2) area (m2)              (m2)                            established
                                                                                                                         [Pn]        surveyed
                                                                                     [S]      [Ph]              [Ps]
     Royal Park                                         1,517,840            1,261,946             858           95            9             All             36
     Princes Park                                          395,620              329,280            573           95            6             All             17
     Westgate Park                                         284,847              239,791            520         104             5             All             20
     Fitzroy-Treasury Gardens                              321,274              175,776            474           95            5      T, MS, L               15
     Carlton Gardens South                                  88,122               47,244            319         106             3      T, MS, L                 9
     University Square                                      16,435               12,768            215         108             2            T, L               3
     Lincoln Square                                         13,264                 9,865           199         100             2 T, MS, G, L                   6
     Argyle Square                                          12,892                 8,335           189           95            2      T, MS, L                 6
     Women's Peace Garden                                     6,675                5,684           169           84            2      T, MS, L                 6
     Gardiner Reserve                                         5,286                3,655           148         148             1      T, MS, L                 3
     Pleasance Gardens                                        3,711                3,404           145         145             1            T, L               2
     Murchison Square                                         3,767                3,294            143        143             1            T, L               2
     State Library of Victoria                                3,000                2,400            130        130             1      T, MS, L                 3
     Canning/Neill Street Reserve                             1,898                1,601            115        115             1            T, L               2
      Garrard Street Reserve                                  1,159                1,081            102        102             1            T, L               2
                                                                                                                                                            132

12
How many insect groups were included in the Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)
study?
                                            Beetles (Coleoptera)
                                          Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea)
12    These were (common name followed by
scientific name of taxa in brackets):     Flies (Diptera: Brachycera)
Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)                                           Heteropteran bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

Figure 2.2 One of the authors sweep-netting a grassland plot in Royal Park.

                                                                                                                      13
Jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea)       with help from Rolf Oberprieler, Adam Slipinski and
                                                 Chris Reid for selected unknown weevils, ladybirds
Leafhopper/Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracoidea)
                                                 and leaf beetles, respectively, Linda Semeraro
Parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Parasitica)       (leafhopper, treehoppers and planthoppers) and
                                                 Ken Walker (bees and wasps).
Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea)
Sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta)
Stinging wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata).

How was the insect reference collection built?

Each sample (i.e. a vial containing insect specimens
from a given plant/plot/site) was sorted under a
binocular microscope (mostly by Kate Cranney
and Tessa Smith, but also by Laura Stark and Luis
Mata) to order and then to morphospecies. One
or more representatives of each morphospecies
were placed into the project’s reference collection.
Duplicate material was stored in 70% ethanol.
Morphospecies were assigned a unique code
starting with the first three letters of the order that
they belonged to (e.g. hem001).

Who identified the insects?

Alan Andersen (ants), Daniel Bickel (flies),
Mali Malipatil (heteropteran bugs), Luis Mata
(heteropteran bugs), Melinda Moir (heteropteran
bugs and jumping plant lice), Nick Porch (beetles)
14
3 Findings

How many insect species were recorded in the was collected in all fifteen sites, in as much as 83%
study?                                          of all plots, in the four studied habitat types and in
                                                association with 102 different plant species (that
560     These belonged in 104 families (Table is 94% of all surveyed plant species!). Both adults
3.1).                                           and immature stages are scavengers and fungivores
                                                (Andrews 2002).
Which insect group had the highest diversity of
species?                                        Which was the most common fly species?

Beetles (Figures 3.1 and 3.2), followed by          The lawn fly Hydrellia tritici was the most frequently
parasitoid wasps and flies (Table 3.1; Figure 3.3). recorded fly, accounting for over 6% of all records
                                                    (Figure 3.4). The lawn fly (Figure 3.6) is one of the
Was the most common species in the study also a most common flies in Australia (Marshall 2012).
beetle?
                                                    Which was the most common ant species?
Yes    It was a ‘Minute brown scavenger beetle’ in
                                                    Iridomyrmex sp. 1 was the most frequently recorded
genus Cortinicara. It accounted for almost 12% of
                                                    ant, accounting for almost 5% of all records (Figure
all records (Figure 3.4). This species was reported
                                                    3.4). Our Iridomyrmex sp. 1 is in fact a complex of
in Mata et al. (2015) as Corticaria sp. 1. Minute
                                                    species (Alan Andersen personal communication),
brown scavenger beetles are tiny and dark, and
                                                    including Iridomyrmex septentrionalis, Iridomyrmex
measure about 2 mm in length (Figure 3.5). Truly
                                                    suchieri, Iridomyrmex sp. (splendens group) and
ubiquitous in the City of Melbourne, the species
                                                    Iridomyrmex sp. (bicknelli group). Iridomyrmex
                                                                                                        15
Table 3.1 Number of insect species and families recorded in each insect group.

                                                                    Species      Families
                          Beetles          Coleoptera                    127           30
               Parasitoid wasps            Parasitica                    124           10
                             Flies         Brachycera                    107           24
             Heteropteran bugs             Heteroptera                    61           14
     Leafhoppers/Treehoppers               Membracoidea                   40            2
             Jumping plant lice            Psylloidea                     31            3
                 Stinging wasps            Aculeata                       23            9
                             Ants          Formicidae                     17            1
                             Bees          Apoidea                        16            5
                   Planthoppers            Fulgoroidea                    11            4
                         Sawflies          Symphyta                         2           1
                         Cicadas           Cicadoidea                       1           1
                                                                         560          104

16
species (Figure 3.7) are generalist predators and scavengers   Which was the most frequently recorded planthopper
that supplement their diets with honeydew and nectar. They     species?
are also known to consume ‘elaiosomes’ (fleshy nutritious
structures attached to seeds). By moving the elaiosome-        The grey planthopper Anzora unicolor (Figure 3.10) was
bearing seeds into the nest to feed larvae, Iridomyrmex        the most frequently recorded planthopper, accounting for
species contribute to seed dispersal.                          approximately 1% of all records (Figure 3.4).

Which was the most common leafhopper species?                  Which was the most common parasitoid wasp species?

An erythroneurinid leafhopper [Erythroneurini 1] was           A diapriid wasp [Diapriidae 4] was the most frequently
the most frequently recorded leafhopper, accounting for        recorded parasitoid wasp in the study (Figure 3.4). As with
approximately 4% of all records (Figure 3.4). This species     many other parasitoid wasps (Figure 3.11), the immature
was reported in Mata et al. (2015) as an empoascine            stages of diapriid wasps develop inside insect hosts, for
leafhopper [Typhlocybinae 2]. Erythroneurini 1 is              example a fly’s larva or pupa, which they eventually
very likely a species in genus Anzygina (Figure 3.8).          consume as food (Masner 1993). This capacity to regulate
Erythroneurinid leafhoppers are herbivores specialised in      insect populations means that diapriids, as well as all other
parenchyma feeding (Fletcher 2009).                            parasitoid wasps, are important providers of biological
                                                               pest control.
Which was the most common heteropteran bug species?
                                                               Which was the most common bee species?
The Rutherglen bug Nysius vinitor was the most frequently
recorded heteropteran bug, accounting for about 2% of The European honey bee Apis mellifera was the most
all records (Figure 3.4). The Rutherglen bug (Figure 3.9) is frequently recorded bee in the study (Figure 3.4). The
a generalist herbivore (Malipatil 2007).                     European honey bee (Figure 3.12) is a specialised
                                                             pollinator that is non-native to Australia.

                                                                                                                       17
Figure 3.1 Beetle diversity I. Top row (left to right): Melobasis
     sp. 1 (Buprestidae); Conoderus sp. 1 (Elateridae); Anthrenus
     verbasci (Dermestidae ); Dicranolaius bellulus (Melyridae);
     Leucohimatium arundinaceum (Erotylidae) and Idaethina
     sp. 1 (Nitidulidae). Middle row (left to right): Diomus sp. 1,
     Diomus sp. 3 and Serangium maculigenum (Coccinellidae);
     Anthicus obliquifasciatus (Anthicidae); Syzeton sp. 1
     (Aderidae) and Eboo sp. 1 (Chrysomelidae). Bottom row (left
     to right): Psylliodes sp. 1, Chaetocnema sp.1, Eurispa sp. 1
     and Hispellinus multispinosus (Chrysomelidae).

18
Figure 3.2 Beetle diversity II. Top row (left to right): Euciodes
sp. 1 (Anthribidae); Apion sp. 1 (Brentidae) and Metopum
sp. 1 (Attelabidae). Middle row (left to right): Misophrice sp.
1, Orthorhinus klugii and Melanterius sp. 1 (Curculionidae).
Bottom row (left to right): Epamoebus sp. 1 and Leptopius sp.
1 (Curculionidae).

                                                                    19
How many native bee species were recorded in Dasypsylla, Eucalyptolyma , Glycaspis, Mycopsylla,
the study?                                         Phellopsylla, Phyllolyma and Platyobria. As much
                                                   as 90% of all jumping plant louse species recorded
13    They were: a species in genus Hylaeus, in the study were found living in association with
Lasioglossum clelandi, Homalictus sphecodoides, native plant species. While in their immature
Hyphesma atromicans, Homalictus punctatus, stages, some jumping plant louse species produce
Homalictus bisbanensis, a species in genus lerps - protective crystallised structures made out of
Euryglossina, a species in genus Callohesma, the insect’s sugary honeydew (Carver et al. 1991).
Lasioglossum      hemichalceum,       Lasioglossum Some jumping plant louse species are tended by
cognatum, Lasioglossum quadratum, Lipotriches ants (Cover image and Figure 3.15).
flavoviridis, and a species in family Colletidae
awaiting genus/species identification.             How many sawfly species were recorded?

How common were stinging wasps?                    2 Both species belonged in family Pergidae. The
                                                   caterpillar-like larvae of sawflies are herbivores,
Stinging wasps represented approximately 2% feeding on the plant species in which they were
off all records. They included native species of born (Figure 3.16).
bethylidid wasps, cuckoo wasps, dryinidid wasps
(Figure 3.13), velvet ants, spider wasps, scoliid How many cicada species were found?
wasps, tiphiid wasps, as well as the non-native
European wasps Vespula germanica (Figure 3.14)     1  It was found in Royal Park living in association
                                                   with Melaleuca viminalis.
How common were jumping plant lice?
                                                   How many insect species were observed only
Jumping plant lice represented over 2% of all once throughout the entire study?
records. They included species in the genera
Aacanthocnema, Acanthocasuarina, Acizzia,          219     That is approximately 40% of all species
Anoeconessa,      Blastopsylla,   Boreioglycaspis, recorded in the study. This aligns well with many
Cardiaspina, Creiis, Cryptoneossa, Ctenarytaina, other insect surveys in which 30-40% of all
20
Number of species (%)

                                                                                             Beetl
                                                                                                       es

                                                                                Paras
                                                                                      i toid
                                                                                               wasp
                                                                                                    s

                                                                                                 Flies

                                                                              Hete
                                                                                     ropte
                                                                                           ran b
                                                                                                u      gs
                  Leafh
                        oppe
                             r                                                    s/Tre
                                                                                          ehop
                                                                                                 pers

                                                                              Jump
                                                                                     ing p
                                                                                             lant l
                                                                                                   i ce

                                                                                 Sting
                                                                                          ing w
                                                                                               asps

                                                                                                 Ants

                                                                                                Bees

                                                                                     Plant
                                                                                             hopp
the total number of species recored in the study.

                                                                                                   ers

                                                                                             Sawfl
                                                                                                     ies

                                                                                             Cicad
                                                                                                  as
Figure 3.3 Number of insect species in each insect group as a percentage of
21
22
                                             Number of records (%)

            Bt - C
                     ortin
                             icara
               Fl - H                sp.1
                      ydrelli
        An -                   a trit
              Irido                    ici
                     myrm
                              ex sp
           Le - E                     .1
                   rythr
    *An                    oneu
          - Line                  rini 1
                  pithe
                          ma h
                                 umile
                  Fl - M
                            uscid
             He -                  ae 1
                    Nysiu
                              s vin
                                     itor
               Fl - L
                      auxa
                             niida
                                     e2
               Fl - L
                      auxa
                             niida
        Bt - C                       e1
               haeto
                       cnem
                                 a sp.
               Bt - D                   1
                        iomu
                                s sp.
          Le - N                        1
                  esoc
Bt - S                    lutha
       erang                      sp. 1
              ium m
                       aculi
         He -                  genu
               Taylo                    m
                       rilygu
                                s sp.
            Pl - A                      1
                   nzor
                           a uni
             An -                 color
                    Prola
                            sius s
                                    p. 1
                Pa - D
                          iaprii
                                 dae 4
               Fl - L
                      auxa
                             niida
             *Be -                   e7
                     Apis
                             melli
                                    fera
               Bt - D
                        iomu
                                s sp.
                                        3
                  Fl - M
         An -              uscid
                Nyla               ae 3
                      nder
                              ia ros
                                       ae
                 Fl - R
                         ivelli
        He -                    a sp.
              Corid                     1
                                                                     and Pl: Planthoppers. Non-native species are indicated with an *.

                      romi
                              us sp
       Pl - S                         .1
                                                                     groups are indicated by An: Ants; Be: Bees; Bt: Beetles; Fl: Flies; He:
                                                                     Figure 3.4 The 25 most frequently recorded species in the study. Insect

                                                                     Heteropteran bugs; Le: Leafhoppers/Treehoppers; Pa: Parasitoid wasps

              colyp
                      opa a
                               ustra
                                       lis
Figure 3.5 Minute brown scavenger beetle Cortinicara sp. 1.
                                                              23
24The lawn fly Hydrellia tritici.
Figure 3.6
Figure 3.7 A rainbow ant Iridomyrmex sp.   25
Photo by: Steve Shattuck.
documented species are recorded only once.          specimen that was surveyed by direct observation
                                                    is shown in Figure 3.18. Finally, we found two new
Did the survey yield any particularly interesting   species of jumping plant lice: Mycopsylla sp. nov.
uncommon species?                                   (tuberculata group) living on Moreton Bay fig Ficus
                                                    macrophylla (Carlton Gardens South, Fitzroy-
Yes Dryinidid wasps (Figure 3.13), which have       Treasury Gardens Lincoln Square and Princess
been recorded very few times in Victoria. Other     Park); and Acanthocasuarina sp. nov. (muellerianae
interesting examples were the seed bug Eurynysius   group) living on tussock-grass Poa labillardierei,
meschioides and the chinch bug Heinsius sp. 1       fragrant Saltbush Chenopodium parabolicum and
(both heteropteran bugs), which were discussed in
detail in Mata et al. (2015).

Did the survey yielded any new species for
science?

Yes     Four new species to science have been
found thus far in our study. We found a new
species of ant belonging in genus Turneria (Alan
Andersen personal communication) living on
ironbark Eucalyptus sideroxylon in Princess Park.
A mounted specimen of this new species is shown
in Figure 3.17. We also found a new species of
lacebug – a heteropteran bug in family Tingidae
– living on brush box Lophostemon confertus
and bracelet honey myrtle Melaleuca armillaris      Figure 3.8 (above) An erythroneurinid leafhopper en genus Anzygina.
(Fitzroy-Treasury Gardens, Princes Park and Royal   Photo by Tony Daley.

Park). The Fitzroy-Treasury Gardens’ brush box      Figure 3.9 (opposite page) The Rutherglen bug Nysius vinitor.

26
27
28 The grey planthopper Anzara unicolor.
Figure 3.10
Photo by Patrick Calmels.
29
Figure 3.11 A parasitoid wasp.
Photo by James Dorey.
30 The European honey bee Apis mellifera visiting the flower
Figure 3.12
of a spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) in Royal Park.
Figure 3.13 A dryinidid wasp found in Royal Park on the common   31
boobialla Myoporum insulare.
drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata (all in a blue-banded fly in genus Trigonospila (Figure
Royal Park).                                       3.19C), the cowboy beetle Chondropyga dorsalis
                                                   (Figure 3.19D), the long-tailed sawfly Pterygophorus
Did you observe any interesting species from the facielongus (Figure 3.16), and the blue-banded
insect groups you were studying outside of the bee Amegilla asserta - buzzing around the black-
targeted survey?                                   anther flax-lily Dianella admixta (Figure 3.20). In

Yes In Royal Park we saw the chequered cuckoo       Figure 3.14 (below) The European wasp Vespula germanica. Photo by
                                                    Jon Sullivan.
bee Thyreus caeruleopunctatus (Figure 3.19A), a     Figure 3.15 (opposite page) An ant tending a jumping plant louse’s
hunchback fly in genus Ogcodes (Figure 3.19B),      lerp.

32
33
34   Figure 3.16 Larvae of the long-tailed sawfly Pterygophorus facielongus
     skeletonising a leaf in Royal Park.
Figure 3.17 A stacked macro-photograph of Turneria sp. nov.   35
Photo courtesy of Alan Andersen.
36 The lacebug Tingis sp. nov. on brush box
Figure 3.18
Lophostemon confertus.
A                                                                    B

 C                                                                    D

Figure 3.19 A Chequered cuckoo bee Thyreus caeruleopunctatus. B Hunchback fly in genus Ogcodes. C Blue-banded fly in genus Trigonospila.
D Cowboy beetle Chondropyga dorsalis. All photos from Royal Park.

                                                                                                                                     37
38   Figure 3.20 A blue-banded bee Amegilla asserta buzzing around
     the black-anther flax-lily Dianella admixta in Royal Park.
Royal Park and Westgate Park we further observed amber ladybird Hippodamia variegata (Figure
leafcutter bees in genus Megachile (Figure 3.21).  3.23), the black lawn beetle Heteronychus arator,
                                                   the lizard beetle Leucohimatium arundinaceum, an
How many of the insect species found were native archaeocrypticid beetle Archaeocrypticus topali,
to Australia?                                      the European honey bee Apis mellifera (Figure
                                                   3.12) and the European wasp Vespula germanica
541      That is about 97% of all recorded species (Figure 3.14).
in the study.
                                                   Which green space site had the highest number of
Which was the most common non-native species? insect species?

The Argentine ant Linepithema humile (Figure
3.22) represented approximately 3% of all records
                                                       Royal Park A total of 354 insect species
                                                       were recorded in Royal Park, which means that
and as much as quarter of all insect records.          over 60% of all documented species occur in
This is an aggressive invasive species that may        this green space (Figure 3.24). With 186 species,
displace native ant species (e.g. species in genus     Westgate Park was the green space with the second
Iridomyrmex), and therefore capable of disrupting      highest species richness, followed by Princes Park,
ant-mediated seed dispersal interactions (Rowles       in which 176 species were recorded. The number
and O’Dowd 2009). It was one of 19 non-native          of species per insect group in each study site is
species recorded in the study, the other species       given in Table 3.2.
being: a sap beetle [Meligethes sp. 1], the elm
leaf beetle Xanthogaleruca luteola, the bronze         Which habitat type had the highest insect species
leaf beetle Diachus auratus, the small striped         richness?
flea beetle Phyllotreta undulata, eight weevils
(Naupactus cervinus, Naupactus leucoloma,              Mid-storey           A total of 337 insect species
Listronotus sp. 1 (bonariensis group), Apinocis        were recorded in mid-storey plots, which means
variipennis, Phlyctinus callosus, Sitona discoideus,   that as much as 60% of all documented species
the Flores weevil Atrichonotus sordidus and a          occurred in this type of habitat (Figure 3.25). The
derelominid weevil [Derelomini 1]), the spotted        second most diverse habitat type was tree (over
                                                                                                        39
40   Figure 3.21 A leafcutter bee in genus Megachile.
     Photo from Westgate Park.
Figure 3.22 The Argentine ant Linepithema humile.   41
Photo by Juan Carlos Bernal.
42   Figure 3.23 The amber spotted ladybird Hippodamia variegata.
Number of species (%)

                                                                                                        Roya
                                                                                                            l Park

                                                                                                  West
                                                                                                       gat    e Par
                                                                                                                    k
                                                                                                     Princ
                                                                                                           es Pa
                                                                                                                rk
                                                                          Fitzro
                                                                                y         -Trea
                                                                                                  sury
                                                                                                         Gard
                                                                                                                ens
                                                                                      Carlt
                                                                                           on G
                                                                                                  arden
                                                                                                           s Sou
                                                                                                                   th
                                                                            Wom
                                                                                en            ’s Pea
                                                                                                       ce G
                                                                                                            a rden
                                                                                                                      s
                                                                                      State
                                                                                              Libra
                                                                                                   ry of
                                                                                                           Victo
                                                                                                                 ria

                                                                                                 Argy
                                                                                                         le Sq
                                                                                                              u   are
                                                                                          Pleas
                                                                                                 ance
                                                                                                         Gard
                                                                                                                ens
                                                                                                Linco
                                                                                                         ln Sq
                                                                                                              uare
                                                                                      Garr
                                                                                          ard S
                                                                                               treet
                                                                                                           Rese
                                                                                                                  rve
                                                                                              Univ
                                                                                                  ersity
                                                                                                           Squa
                                                                                                                r  e
                                                                                              Gard
                                                                                                     iner R
                                                                                                             eserv
                                                                                                                  e
                                                                                              Cann
                                                                                            Stree ing/Neil
                                                                                                 t Res
                                                                                                       erve
                                                                                         Murc
                                                                                             hinso
                                                                                                   n Squ
 Figure 3.24 Number of insect species recorded in each green space site as a

                                                                                                         are
 percentage of the total number of species recored in the study. Bold numbers in
 top of each bar indicate the total number of insect species recorded in each site.
43
50% of all records), followed by grassland (38%). Which plant species had the highest number of
The habitat type with the least number of associated associated insect species?
insect species was lawn, in which only 19% of all
insect species were found.                              The tussock-grass                A total of 103
                                                     insect species were associated with tussock-grass
Which habitat type had the highest number of Poa labillardierei, or in other words as much as 18%
unique insect species?                               of all recorded insect species occurred in this one
                                                     plant species (Figure 3.28). The tussock-grass Poa
Mid-storey           As many as 127 species were labillardierei (Figure 3.29) is a perennial tussock
recorded exclusively in mid-storey plots (Figure grass native to southern and eastern Australia (Sharp
3.26). The tree and grassland habitat types had 111 and Simon 2002). The native wallaby (Rytidosperma
and 63 unique species, respectively. The habitat sp.) and kangaroo (Themeda triandra) grasses also
type with the least number of unique species was had large number of associated insect species (71
lawn (15 species).                                   and 62, respectively; Figure 3.28).

How many insect species were recorded in all Which shrub species had the highest number of
four habitat types?                          associated insect species?

41 These included amongst others the minute             The shrub with the highest number of associated
brown scavenger beetle Cortinicara sp. 1 (Figure        insect species (103; Figure 3.28) was the fragrant
3.5), the spotted amber ladybird Hippodamia             saltbush Chenopodium parabolicum (formerly
variegata (Figure 3.23), the Rutherglen bug Nysius      known as Rhagodia parabolica). The native shrubs
vinitor (Figure 3.9), ants in the Iridomyrmex complex   sweet bursaria Bursaria spinosa, gold-dust wattle
(Figure 3.7), the Argentine ant Linepithema humile      Acacia acinacea and hop goodenia Goodenia
(Figure 3.22), the lawn fly Hydrellia tritici (Figure   ovata also had large number of associated insect
3.6) and the Pacific damsel bug Nabis kinbergii         species (56, 54 and 45; Figure 3.28).
(Figure 3.27).

44
Table 3.2 Number of insect species per insect group recorded in each green space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           e
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      eserv
                                                                                           s

                                                                                                                      s
                                                                                       rden

                                                                                                                 arden
                                                                                                      th

                                                                                                                                 a

                                                                                                                                                                                   e

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     reet R
                                                                                                                                      ri

                                                                                                                                                                              eserv
                                                                                                 s Sou

                                                                                                                                Victo

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               are
                                                                                  ry Ga

                                                                                                                                                         ens
                                                                                                             ce G

                                                                                                                                                                                             re

                                                                                                                                                                                                          e

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              n Squ
                                                                                                                                                      Gard

                                                                                                                                                                                                     eserv
                                                                                                                                                                                 R

                                                                                                                                                                                                               eil St
                                                                                              arden

                                                                                                                                                                                          Squa
                                                                                                                                                                 uare
                                                                                                                          ry of

                                                                                                                                           uare

                                                                                                                                                                           treet
                                                                                     su
                                                               rk

                                                                                                           ’s Pea
                                                                       rk
                                                         te Pa

                                                                               -Trea

                                                                                                                                                                                                              ing/N
                                                                                                                                                                                                   iner R

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           hinso
                                                                                                                                                               ln Sq
                                                                                                                                                       ance
                                                                                                                     Libra
                                              l Park

                                                                     es Pa

                                                                                                                                                                                         ersity
                                                                                               on G

                                                                                                                                       le Sq

                                                                                                                                                                           ard S
                                                                                                         en
                                                           ga

                                                                                   y
                                                                             Fitzro

                                                                                                                                                  Pleas

                                                                                                                                                              Linco
                                                                                                      Wom

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Murc
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Cann
                                                                    Princ

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Gard
                                             Roya

                                                                                          Carlt

                                                                                                                    State

                                                                                                                                    Argy
                                                       West

                                                                                                                                                                                     Univ
                                                                                                                                                                       Garr
                Beetles    Coleoptera         78         49          42        33            25             6               6              8           5         3           8            4           3         2              3
        Parasitoid wasps   Parasitica         67         33          37        32            11              5              6              2           9         4           7            3           4         2              0
                   Flies   Brachycera         78         49          33        47            34            19          20                  15        15         16           3            6           7         4              5
      Heteropteran bugs    Heteroptera        31         22          20        13            14              6              5               8          4         5           3            2           2         2              2
Leafhoppers/Treehoppers    Membracoidea       25         11          12          2             4             6              5               2          3          2          1             4          2         1              2
      Jumping plant lice   Psylloidea         20           5           9         5             2             0              0               1          0          1          2             0          0         0              0
         Stinging wasps    Aculeata           18           4           8         5             1             2              0               1          0          0          0             3          2         0              0
                   Ants    Formicidae         16           5         10        10              5             5              4               5          4          4          1             3          4         2              2
                   Bees    Apoidea            11           5           1         2             4             2              0               1          1          1          0             0          0         1              0
           Planthoppers    Fulgoroidea          9          2         12          3             1             2              5               0          0          1          1             1          0         0              0
                Sawflies   Symphyta             0          1           0         0             0             0              0               0          1          0          0             0          0         0              0
                Cicadas    Cicadoidea           1          0           0         0             0             0              0               0          0          0          0             0          0         0              0
                                             354       186          176      152           101             53          46                  43        42         37         26           26          24        14              14

                                                                                                                                                                                                                45
Number of species (%)

                                          Mid-storey                         Tree                        Grassland                          Lawn

                       Figure 3.25 Number of insect species recorded in each habitat type as a percentage of the total number of species recored in the
                       study. Bold numbers in top of each bar indicate the total number of insect species recorded in habitat type.
46
Grassland                                                          Lawn

                                              63                                     15
                                                                  9

        Mid-storey                     33                                                      3             Tree

                                                   12                            1
                            127                                                                       111

                                                                 41

                                            16                                            21

                                                        9                      35

                                                                 64

Figure 3.26 A Venn diagram showing the distribution of insect species amongst mid-storey, grassland, lawn and tree habitat types. The
non-intersecting areas indicate the number of unique species. The intersecting areas indicate the number of shared species. The white
area in the centre of the diagram indicates the number of species that were common to all four habitat types.

                                                                                                                                        47
48   Figure 3.27 The Pacific damsel bug Nabis kinbergii.
Number of records (%)

              Poa l
Chen               abillar
                             diere
     opod
          ium p                       i
                   arabo
                             licum
          Rytid
                  ospe
                          rma
                                  sp.
          Them
                  eda t
                           riand
       Cory
             mbia                   ra
                       macu
                                 lata
             *Sch
                     inus
                             molle
           Bursa
                    ria sp
                              inosa
            Acac
                    ia me
                              arnsi
           Acac                       i
                   ia ac
                            inace
            Good                     a
                     enia
       Loma                  ovata
              ndra
                       longi
    Euca                        folia
         lyptu
                s side
                          roxyl
       Mela                        on
             leuca
                        vimin
            *Ulm                  alis
                    us pr
    Ench                     ocera
          ylaen
                  a tom
                            entos
      *Nan
             dina                    a
                     dom
                             estica
          Acac
                 ia ve
                         rnicifl
         Ficus                     ua
                  macr
                          ophy
         *Ner                      lla
                ium o
                          leand
   Loph
         ostem                      er
                 on co
                           nfert
  Alloc
        asua                       us
              rina v
                       ertici
                                llata
                    *Bux
 Euca                        us sp
      lyptu                          .
            s cam
                                                                  each plant species. Non-native plant species are indicated with an *.

                      aldul
       Mela                    ensis
             leuca
                       armil
                                laris
              *Vibu
                       rnum
                                  sp.
                                                                  numbers in top of each bar indicate the total number of insect species associated with
                                                                  Figure 3.28 The top 25 plant species associated with the highest number of insect
                                                                  species as a percentage of the total number of insect species recored in the study. Bold

49
50   Figure 3.29 The tussock-grass Poa labillardierei.
     Photo by Nathan Johnson.
Which tree species had the highest number of
associated insect species?

The tree species with the highest number of
associated insect species (57; Figure 3.28) were
the native spotted gum Corymbia maculata
(Figures 3.12 and 3.30) and the non-native pepper
tree Schinus molle (an evergreen tree native to
the American Andes). The native trees black
wattle Acacia mearnsii and ironbark Eucalyptus
sideroxylon also had large number of associated
insect species (55 and 43, respectively; Figure
3.28).

Taken together, were there more insect species in
native or non-native tree species?

On average, there were over 60% more insect
species in native than non-native tree species.

How many associations between insect and plant
species were documented?

2191 Given that the total number of all possible
associations between insect and plant species in
our study was 60,480 (560 insect species times

Figure 3.30 A spotted gum Corymbia maculata in Royal Park.

                                                             51
Figure 3.31 Hypothetical metanetwork of plant-insect
     ecological interactions. Red dots represent insect species
     and green dots represent plant species. Each line represent a
52   documented plant-insect association.
Figure 3.32 The top 25 insect species associated with the highest number of plant
                                                       species as a percentage of the total number of plant species surveyed in the study. Bold
                                                       numbers in top of each bar indicate the total number of plant species associated with
                                                       each insect species. Insect groups are indicated by An: Ants; Be: Bees; Bt: Beetles; Fl:
                                                       Flies; He: Heteropteran bugs; Le: Leafhoppers/Treehoppers; Pa: Parasitoid wasps and Pl:
                                                       Planthoppers. Non-native insect species are indicated with an *.
Number of records (%)

                                 sp.1

                                                                              tici
                                                                           ini 1

                                                                               .1
                                                                           ae 1

                                                                             e2
                                                                         umile

                                                                             itor

                                                                             e1

                                                                                m

                                                                                1

                                                                                1
                                                                           ae 3

                                                                                1
                                                                            p. 1

                                                                                3
                                                                         dae 4

                                                                            fera
                                                                          color

                                                                          sp. 1

                                                                             e7

                                                                               lis

                                                                           ae 1

                                                                                1

                                                                                8
                                                                         a sp.
                                                                        genu

                                                                        s sp.
                                                                        s sp.

                                                                        s sp.

                                                                        a sp.

                                                                       pidae
                                                                        ustra
                                                                      ex sp
                                                                      lia tri

                                                                     niida

                                                                     niida

                                                                     niida
                                                                      s vin

                                                                     melli
                                                                    sius s
                                                                   uscid

                                                                   horid
                                                                   uscid
                                                                    neur
                            icara

                                                                   a uni

                                                                  lutha
                                                                  ma h

                                                                  iaprii
                                                               cnem

                                                                iomu
                                                                iomu

                                                               rilygu

                                                                 ivelli
                                                              opa a
                                                               aculi

                                                              hloro
                                                             myrm

                                                            Nysiu
                                    ydrel

                                                              auxa

                                                              auxa

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                                                            ythro

                                                           Prola

                                                             Apis
                                                          Fl - M

                                                           Fl - P
                                                          Fl - M
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                                                        Pa - D

                                                         Fl - R
                                                       Bt - D
                                                       Bt - D
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                                                      colyp
                                                       Fl - L

                                                       Fl - L

                                                       Fl - L

                                                      Fl - C
                                  Fl - H

                                                      Irido

                                                     *Be -
                                                  r
                        Bt - C

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                                                    Pl - A
                                           Le - E

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                                               erang
                                                An -

                                            *An

                                                                                                                                             53
                                        Bt - S
108 plant species), the ‘connectance’ of the City of   species – that is more than 50% of all surveyed
Melbourne’s metanetwork of plant-insect ecological     plant species (Figure 3.32). This species is the
interactions (Figure 3.31) was approximately 4%.       most generalist herbivore recorded in the study –
On average, each insect species was associated         assuming of course that it actually feeds on every
with 3.28 plant species.                               plant species that we found it on.

Which insect species was associated with the Which ant species was associated with the highest
highest number of plants?                    number of plants?

The minute brown scavenger beetle Cortinicara          Iridomyrmex sp. 1. The ant complex Iridomyrmex
sp. 1. Minute brown scavenger beetles (Figure          sp. 1 (Figure 3.7) was recorded in association with
3.5) were recorded in association with as much as      55 plant species (Figure 3.32).
102 plant species – that is almost 94% of all plant
species surveyed in the study (Figure 3.32).           Which heteropteran bug species was associated
                                                       with the highest number of plants?
Which fly species was associated with the highest
number of plants?                                  The Rutherglen bug Nysius vinitor. Rutherglen bugs
                                                   (Figure 3.9) were recorded in association with 37
The lawn fly Hydrellia tritici. Lawn flies (Figure plant species (Figure 3.32).
3.6) were recorded in association with 64 plant
species – that is almost 60% of all surveyed plant Which bee species was associated with the highest
species (Figure 3.32).                             number of plants?

Which leafhopper species was associated with the The European honey bee Apis mellifera. Honey
highest number of plants?                          bees (Figure 3.12) were recorded visiting the
                                                   flowers of 16 non-native plants: glossy abelia
An erythroneurinid leafhopper [Erythroneurini 1]. Abelia     grandiflora, common      agapanthus
This species of erythroneurinid leafhopper (Figure Agapanthus praecox, boxwood Buxus sp., cape
3.8) was recorded in association with 57 plant chestnut Calodentrum capense, canna lilies Canna

54
generalis and Canna indica, rockrose Cistus sp.,        non-native plant species (Asparagus aethiopicus,
pride of Madeira Echium candicans, lavander             Calodentrum capense, Dietes sp., ‘Lawn complex’,
Lavandula sp., white clover Trifolium repens            Schinus molle and Strelitzia reginae).
(part of the ‘lawn complex’), pennyroyal Mentha
pulegium, spurflower Plectranthus sp., rosemary         Which planthopper species was associated with
Rosmarinus officinalis, bush sage Salvia leucantha,     the highest number of plants?
lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina and star jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides. Interestingly, we          The grey planthopper Anzora unicolor. Grey
also documented the European honey bee visiting         planthoppers (Figure 3.10) were recorded in
the flowers of three native plant species: spotted      association with 18 plant species (Figure 3.32).
gum Corymbia maculata, burgan Kunzea ericoides
                                                        Were jumping plant louse species generalists or
and brush box Lophostemon confertus.
                                                        specialists?
With how many plant species were native bee
species associated?
                                                        Specialists          Most jumping plant louse
                                                        species were recorded in association with less
17     Amongst these, eight are native insect-          than three plant species. For example, all five
                                                        records of Acizzia jucunda were on black wattle
pollinated shrubs or trees: gold-dust wattle Acacia
acinacea, varnish wattle Acacia verniciflua, fragant    Acacia mearnsii, and all ten records of species in
saltbush Chenopodium parabolicum, rock correa           genus Mycopsylla (Mycopsylla sp. 1 (fici group)
Correa glabra, common correa Correa reflexa,            and Mycopsylla sp. nov. (tuberculata group) were
spotted gum Corymbia maculata (Figure 3.30), hop        on Moreton Bay fig Ficus macrophylla. Likewise,
goodenia Goodenia ovata (Figure 4.1); four are          all six records of Glycaspis sp. 1 (brimblecombei
native graminoid or grass species which provide         group) were on Myrtaceae species (river red
non-floral resources: spiny-headed mat-rush             gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis and spotted gum
Lomandra longifolia, tussock-grass Poa labillardierei   Corymbia maculata).
(Figure 3.29), wallaby grass Rytidosperma sp. and
kangaroo grass Themeda triandra; and six were

                                                                                                        55
Table 3.3 Number of insect species by feeding strategy recorded in each insect group. A: Adult stage; IS: Immature stage.

                                                                                                                             sm

                                                                                                                                                 g
                                                                                                                            toidi

                                                                                                                                                 engin
                                                                   ivory

                                                                                      ivory

                                                                                                        ation

                                                                                                                               i
                                                                                                                          Paras
                                                                  Herb

                                                                                     Fung

                                                                                                                                             Scav
                                                                                                       Pred
                                                              A          IS     A           IS     A          IS      A            IS   A            IS
                  Beetles          Coleoptera                79          64     20          20    38          35      0            0    29           36
         Parasitoid wasps          Parasitica                15            1     0          0      0          0       0       123        0               0
                    Flies          Brachycera                 7          13      0          0     17          20      0        10       58           57
       Heteropteran bugs           Heteroptera               56          56      0          0      5          5       0            0     0               0
Leafhoppers/Treehoppers            Membracoidea              40          40      0          0      0          0       0            0     0               0
       Jumping plant lice          Psylloidea                31          31      0          0      0          0       0            0     0               0
          Stinging wasps           Aculeata                  13            0     0          0      1          0       0        22        1               0
                    Ants           Formicidae                 8            0     0          0     17          0       0            0    17               0
                    Bees           Apoidea                   16            0     0          0      2          2       0            0     0               0
            Planthoppers           Fulgoroidea               11          11      0          0      0          0       0            0     0               0
                 Sawflies          Symphyta                   0            2     0          0      0          0       0            0     0               0
                 Cicadas           Cicadoidea                 1            0     0          0      0          0       0            0     0               0
                                                            277          219    20          20    80          62      0       155       105          93

  56
Table 3.4 Number of insect species by herbivorous guild recorded in each insect group. A: Adult stage; IS: Immature stage.

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                                                                                   aves)

                                                                                                                                                             seed
                                                                                                   ry (gr
                                                             o

                                                                                                                          e

                                                                                                                                                                             y (wo
                                                       ry (h

                                                                                                                    ry (n

                                                                                                                                                                 (
                                                                                                                                                 (
                                                                            ry (le

                                                                                                   inivo

                                                                                                                                                           ivory
                                                                                                                                           ivory
                                                    ativo

                                                                                                                   arivo

                                                                                                                                                                            phag
                                                                               o

                                                                                               Gram

                                                                                                                                                          Gran
                                                  Exud

                                                                                                                                     Palin
                                                                                                                  Nect
                                                                          Foliv

                                                                                                                                                                           Xylo
                                                   A         IS      A      IS             A      IS         A     IS            A       IS          A      IS         A     IS
                 Beetles   Coleoptera              0             0   58    56              0      0          3      0         45        31           1      1          0     3
        Parasitoid wasps   Parasitica              0             0    0     0              0      0          14     0         15          1          0      0          0     0
                   Flies   Brachycera              0             0   4     13              0      0          3      0            0        0          0      0          0     0
      Heteropteran bugs    Heteroptera             0             0   42    42              5      5          0      0            3        3          9      9          0     0
Leafhoppers/Treehoppers    Membracoidea            0             0   40    40              0      0          0      0            0        0          0      0          0     0
      Jumping plant lice   Psylloidea              0             0   31    31              0      0          0      0            0        0          0      0          0     0
         Stinging wasps    Aculeata                1             0   0      0              0      0          11     0            1        0          0      0          0     0
                   Ants    Formicidae              4             0   0      0              0      0          3      0            0        0          3      0          0     0
                   Bees    Apoidea                 0             0   0      0              0      0          16     0         16         0           0      0          0     0
           Planthoppers    Fulgoroidea             0             0   11    11              0      0          0     0             0       0           0      0          0     0
               Sawflies    Symphyta                0             0   0      2              0      0          0     0             0       0           0      0          0     0
                Cicadas    Cicadoidea              0             0   1      0              0      0          0     0             0       0           0      0          0     0
                                                   5             0   187 196               5      5          49    0          80        35           13    10          0     3

                                                                                                                                                                                  57
Table 3.5 Number of insect species by regulating ecosystem service recorded in each insect group.

                                                                                    r
                                                                                     ansfe

                                                                                                                       rsal
                                                                                                  l

                                                                                                          ty
                                                                                               ontro
                                                                  ation

                                                                                                                   dispe
                                                                               ass tr

                                                                                                         ertili
                                                                Pollin

                                                                                                  c
                                                                           Biom

                                                                                                       Soil f

                                                                                                                  Seed
                                                                                             Pest
                      Beetles          Coleoptera                17        87                38         38         0
             Parasitoid wasps          Parasitica                60        15                123         0         0
                         Flies         Brachycera                35        16                30         58         0
           Heteropteran bugs           Heteroptera                3        56                 5          0         0
     Leafhoppers/Treehoppers           Membracoidea               0        40                 0          0         0
           Jumping plant lice          Psylloidea                 0        31                 0          0         0
              Stinging wasps           Aculeata                  15        13                23          1         0
                         Ants          Formicidae                 2         8                17         17         3
                         Bees          Apoidea                   16        16                 2          0         0
                Planthoppers           Fulgoroidea                0        11                 0          0         0
                     Sawflies          Symphyta                   0         2                 0          0         0
                     Cicadas           Cicadoidea                 0         1                 0          0         0
                                                                148        296               238       114         3

58
How many adult insect species were herbivores?        How many species were pollinators?

277 Approximately half of all adult insect species We don’t know! What we do know is
recorded in the study were herbivores, and about      that as much as 25% of all recorded insect species
18% and 14% were scavengers and predators,            are known to visit flowers to collect nectar and/
respectively (Table 3.3). Approximately 40% of the    or pollen – that is almost 150 species of beetles,
insect species’ immature stages were herbivores,      parasitoid wasps, flies, heteropteran bugs, stinging
and about 27% and 17% were parasitoids and            wasps, ants and, of course, bees (Table 3.5). In
scavengers, respectively (Table 3.3.).                many instances however flower visitation does not
                                                      translate directly into pollination.
What parts of the plants are the herbivorous
insects specialised to eat?                           How many species transfer biomass from plants
                                                      and fungi into higher trophic levels?
As much as 68% of all adult herbivorous insect
species recorded in the study were folivores (Table   296      Over 50% of all recorded insect species
3.4), a herbivorous guild in which species specialise were herbivores and/or fungivores, and therefore
to eat leaves. This percentage was even higher for capable of transferring organic material from
immature stages (90%). Other herbivorous guilds plants and fungi into higher trophic levels (Table
with numerous species were palinivores and 3.5). By consuming plants and fungi, herbivorous
nectarivores, with 80 (29%) and 49 (18%) adult and fungivorous insects are in essence becoming a
species, respectively (Table 3.4).                    nutritious food source not only for insect predators
                                                      and parasitoids but also for spiders, centipedes,
What regulating ecosystem services could the frogs, lizards, birds, bats and many other animal
recorded insect species potentially provide?          groups.

Biotic pollination, biomass transfer from plants How many species are providing pest control?
and fungi to higher trophic levels, control of insect
pests, improved soil fertility and seed dispersal     238   Over 40% of all recorded insect species
(Table 3.5).                                          were predators or parasitoids, and therefore
                                                                                                        59
capable of regulating the populations of potential bee, namely the non-native European honey bee
insect pests (Table 3.5).                          Apis mellifera (Figure 3.12). Lerps are crystallised
                                                   protective structures made out of the sugar-rich
How many species are improving soil fertility?     liquid honeydew exudated by the immature stages
                                                   of jumping plant lice (Cover illustration). Lerps are
114     As much as 20% of all recorded species one of the main types of sweet foods gathered and
were scavengers and/or detritivores, and therefore consumed by Aboriginal Australians (Turner 1984).
capable of recycling nutrients from dead or
decomposing organic material back into the soil Are there any ecosystem disservices provided by
(Table 3.5).                                       the studied insect groups?

How many species are providing seed dispersal?        Yes A      few of the insect species recorded in
                                                      the study may potentially cause one or more
3 (6)       These were Rhytidoponera metallica,       of the following ecosystem disservices: human
Rhytidoponera victoriae and Iridomyrmex sp. 1,        discomfort, for example a skin rash produced by
which in fact is a complex of species that includes   a fly’s bite; allergic reactions, which may follow
Iridomyrmex septentrionalis, Iridomyrmex suchieri,    after the injection of venom from a wasp’s sting;
Iridomyrmex sp. (splendens group) and Iridomyrmex     or plant damage, as may be caused for example
sp. (bicknelli group). Foraging workers from all      to the English elm leaf by the leaf elm beetle
six species are known to carry elaiosome-bearing      Xanthogaleruca luteola.
seeds back to their colonies to feed their larvae,
effectively turning them into seed dispersers.

What provisioning ecosystem services           are
provided by the studied insect groups?

The insects recorded in the study may supply
at least two types of food: honey and lerps. We
documented only one species of honey-producing

60
4 Management and practice recommendations

Which management action could be prioritised Which other habitat type could be promoted to
with the objective to increase insect biodiversity? increase insect biodiversity?

Increase the amount mid- surveyed       Grassland Although over 38% of the
storey habitat Over 60% of the surveyed association insect species were recorded in
                                                     with grassland plots and over 10%
insect species were recorded in association with        of all insect species occurred exclusively in this
mid-storey plots and over 20% of all insect species     habitat type, grassland-type vegetation is currently
occurred exclusively in this habitat type. Yet, mid-    absent from as much as 70% of the studied green
storey habitat is not a predominant feature of most     spaces. Increasing the extent of grassland habitat
of our city’s urban green spaces. In fact, mid-storey   in green spaces where this habitat type is already
habitat is currently absent from up to one third of     present (e.g. Royal Park, Westgate Park and Princes
the green space sites we surveyed. Undoubtedly,         Park) and adding new grassland-type vegetation
these green spaces (University Square, Pleasance        to green spaces where this habitat type is absent
Gardens, Murchison Square, Canning/Neill Street         could potentially increase insect biodiversity in
Reserve and Garrard Street Reserve), as well as         our city.
many other similarly sized and structured green
spaces across the municipality, could benefit from
the addition of mid-storey habitat.

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